It’s ironic that the newly renamed Playhouse decided to test out its recently formed acting ensemble by opening their pop-up theatre with a piece first performed in 1986.

It is a labour of love for associate director Amy Leach who studied it at GCSE, but her nine strong cast pull no punches on a grim rollercoaster journey through one raucous Friday night on what could be any rundown Northern street. The big question is does a play about the antics of a group of disenfranchised and damaged folk in Thatcher’s Britain still hold up?

Les Misérables, the unequivocal musical phenomenon that is the second longest running musical in the world has run in London continuously since 1985. In Broadway from 1987 to 2003 it became Broadway's fifth longest running show. In 2005 Wakefield Theatre Royal performed Les Misérables School Edition for the first time, again in 2011 and now for a third time in 2018. I have had the personal pleasure of seeing all 3 of these Wakefield Youth Music Theatre's productions of the show.

Magic is all around in this production of The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic children’s tale of love, loss, and redemption. The play is directed by Liz Stevenson and adapted for the stage by Jessica Swale.

Unapologetically nostalgic and gregarious fun, the wistful big red London bus rolled into Leeds last night. 'Summer Holiday' based on the 1963 feel good film starring Cliff Richard and Una Stubbs was adapted for stage in 1996 by Michael Gyngell and Mark Haddigan with additional songs from Sir Cliff's back catalogue.

Real people, real lives. This uplifting production called ‘Songs From The Seven Hills’ totally took the audience by storm this evening. I will admit the show at the start was a little bit unclear and did have me slightly confused but the way it came together brought a tear to my eye.

The King of Pop lives on – well at least his excellent music does in this stylish, lavish and slick homage to one of the greatest entertainers the world has seen, Michael Jackson. It has been just over 9 years since the pop icon tragically lost his life – but this musical tribute to the legend ensures that although he has gone, he will never be forgotten.

Wow, tonight’s performance of ‘The Dusty Springfield Musical’ captured the heart of each individual sitting in the audience. The show touched upon areas in history which in today’s society is still a common problem for some. In front of our very eyes, the lady that was Dusty Springfield was brought back and the fond memories the people had of her, carried throughout the auditorium.

Buckle up for an electrifying take on Shakespeare’s historical play, produced by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions as part of the Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre project in York for this summer. The play documents the Machiavellian scheming, the steady rise to power, and the ultimate defeat and death of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, known to history as King Richard III.

The ambition of this project is anything but little, and mighty fierce! The beautiful ‘pop-up’ venue, Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre (which takes its inspiration from the London Rose Playhouse built in 1587), commands your attention. It is an impressive journey back in time to the Elizabethan era, with the playhouse constructed alongside local historic buildings, such as Clifford’s Tower, the Castle Museum, and the medieval City Walls.

As the Hull New Theatre filled up on Thursday night, mainly with children, the excited chatter got louder and louder in my ear. The main culprit? My sister, who has read every David Walliams book on the pretext of entertaining her grand-children - a likely story.